Former North Beach restaurant manager sentenced for child sexual abuse

The former manager of an Italian restaurant in North Beach was sentenced to 16 years in state prison on Thursday morning for sexually abusing a young child, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Gaspare Giudice, 49, was the floor manager of Original U.S. Restaurant at 414 Columbus Ave. when police arrested him in August 2017 for allegedly abusing the child over a five-year period. The abuse is believed to have begun in 2001 when the boy was six years old.

Under a plea agreement with prosecutors last month, Giudice pled guilty to one felony count of continious sexual assault of a minor, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He initially faced five counts for allegedly sexually assaulting, raping and threatening the victim.

In court records, prosecutors alleged that Giudice acknowledged the sexual assault and apologized to the victim in a December 2016 phone call. Before his arrest in August 2017, he allegedly confessed to the crimes.

In a statement that the mother of the victim prepared for the sentencing, she told Giudice that he “ruined” her relationship with her son and called his actions “despicable.”

“I will never have the opportunity to save my son from you, I can never have those moments, days, years back,” the mother said. “And for that I shall never forgive you.”

Rafael Trujillo, a defense attorney representing Giudice, described the case as a “very difficult situation for everybody.”

“Mr. Giudice, with the support and help of his friends and family, looks forward to the next chapter in his life,” Trujillo said.

Giudice has not worked at Original U.S. Restaurant since his arrest, according to co-owner Alberto Cipollina.

“I was surprised that this happened,” Cipollina said. “I never thought that he was that type of person.”

Giudice is in the process of being transferred from County Jail to state prison, according to the District Attorney’s Office.